Who best can sustain the crucial economic and related gains Jamaica has achieved especially in the last 8 years? That, to me, is one of the most critical questions all well-thinking Jamaicans need to ask as we head towards national elections.

In answering that question, ideology, generational political party loyalties, and basal emotions must be flung way in the background of our decision-making process. Objective analysis rooted in verifiable facts must be the root of dispassionate measurement.

I believe a reasoned answer to the mentioned question is extremely important in light of the recession now affecting the biggest economies in Europe. I previously discussed the reasons here. I previously discussed here, too, the lingering weight of supply chain problems on the world economy, the massive jumps in especially global grain prices caused by Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and the big aftershocks of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Jamaica needs extremely steady hands in these times.

Not just Europe

Some might say, “Cho, it’s just European countries which are meeting hard times, caught in recession, and are at risk of recession.” They are wrong!

Consider this: ‘Asia faces one of worst economic outlooks in half a century, World Bank warns… Sluggish post-pandemic recovery, China’s prosperity crisis and US Trade policies expected to hinder growth next year’.

The Financial Times article of October 1, 2023 said, among other things: “The World Bank has cut its forecast for China’s growth next year and warned that East Asia’s developing economies are set to expand at one of the lowest rates in five decades, as US protectionism and rising levels of debt pose an economic drag.

“The gloomier 2024 forecasts from the bank underline the mounting concern over China’s slowdown and how it will spill into Asia. China’s policymakers have already set one of the lowest growth targets in decades for 2023, of about 5 per cent.

“Citing a string of weak indicators for the world’s second-biggest economy, the World Bank said it now expected China’s economic output would grow 4.4 per cent in 2024, down from the 4.8 per cent it expected in April.

“It also downgraded its 2024 forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) growth for developing economies in East Asia and the Pacific, which includes China, to 4.5 per cent, from a prediction in April of 4.8 per cent and trailing the 5 per cent rate expected this year.

“The projections show that the region, one of the world’s main growth engines, is set for its slowest pace of growth since the late 1960s, excluding extraordinary events such as the coronavirus pandemic, the Asian financial crisis and the global oil shock in the 1970s.”

With verifiable facts, I said here previously that things are also rough, very rough in America and Canada, two of our biggest trading partners. Things are tough in many parts of Africa too. Here, in the Caribbean, economic downturn is plenty; one only needs to look at what is happening to our neighbours. Serious challenges abound!

Jamaica’s economy, at present, is in a much better shape than most of our sister islands in the region. This is not because of some lucky accident, it is because of very prudent management by the present Andrew Holness-led Administration.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Those who brought Jamaica close, very close, to economic ruin, not so long ago, are now telling us that they are now committed to fiscal discipline. Some among their numbers quite brazenly are also telling us that Jamaica’s economic recovery is due to their interventions and careful stewardship.

Consider this scenario: A man sets his house on fire. When the fire brigade comes, he who started the fire joins in extinguishing the blaze, following the strict direction of the brigade. The fire is put out and the house is saved. The man congratulates himself. Discerning neighbours stare in disbelief.

There are no ifs, buts or maybes; rank mismanagement by the People’s National Party (PNP) in Government caused the Jamaican economy to crash in the 1970s and 90s. I have presented incontrovertible evidence previously.

A fact that cannot be cancelled with the repeating of inaccuracies is this: In 2010 former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, along with Audley Shaw, the then minister of finance and the public service, began decisive actions, including two domestic debt exchanges, to bring Jamaica’s debt trajectory on a more sustainable path. That was the genesis of Jamaica’s economic recovery programme after the PNP set the house ablaze.

One of the worst things a country can do is to trust socialists with the implementation of capitalist policies. The objective evidence cannot be challenged, the PNP and economic growth are antithetical. Jamaica must ‘walk wide’ of backsliding.

I have noted here before, and I stand by it, albeit that Dr Peter Phillips, former minister of finance and the public service, acted with the imprimatur of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — the fire brigade — I believe he still deserves credit for meticulously following their directives. He could have messed it all up. He did not!

As I see it, the new ambition for Jamaica, where we continue to focus on reducing the national debt as we simultaneously reduce long-standing inequalities by continuing to rapidly increase opportunity creation and distribution, increased personal and national production, improved social justice, and bolstering of the rule of law is the best way forward.

Extremely steady hands are needed to continue this advance.

Given the dark clouds on the global horizons, shaky and inexperienced hands at the wheel will hurt, not help, Jamaica.

Good Samaritans still exist

On the subject of steady hands and helping hands, in September 2017 I said, among other things, in my The Agenda piece: “The rot of unenlightened self-interest is a threat to Jamaica’s prosperity. There are those who laugh vociferously when an old lady slips on a ripe banana peel and seriously injures herself. There are those who use their smartphones to capture the lowest points of human misfortune with a single perverse objective: ‘I must post it in on social media first.’ “

In the mentioned column, and several subsequently, I pointed out that social decline, a monster which was hatched donkey years ago, was continuing its march of destruction throughout the society.

I also noted that, unlike in years gone by, the monster of social decline was in recent times aided by social media, which in real-time showed the callousness of behaviour by far too many among us.

I have discussed in previous columns some of the complex reasons for long-standing social decline in this country, and also some of the solutions which I believe can halt the slide. It is a slide that can consume even the better angels in those of us — and there are many who still believe that Jamaica is worth fighting for.

Importantly, those of us, who fervently believe Jamaica is worth fighting for, got a tonic of reinforcement last week.

By now almost the entire country knows about the brutal beating that was meted out to Jaheim Coleman, a 14-year-old student of BB Coke High School in St Elizabeth, this by a grade 11 student for allegedly stepping on his shoe.

The most recent update I saw said the injured student, who is still admitted to hospital, is rapidly improving and may be out soon. As we pray for his continued speedy recovery and categorically condemn the actions of the alleged attacker who the police say has been charged with assault, we should not fail to heap hefty praise on Daejuan Gordon, Dejuan Powell, Gary Bartley, Khari Green, and Leon Barnes who lifted the injured Coleman from the ground and took him to a nearby medical facility.

Their heroic deed was spectacularly heart-warming. The mentioned boys did not pull out their mobile phones and begin recording, as is popular these days.

Some among us constantly curse and castigate the youth for, among other things, insufficient quantities of the “milk of human kindness” (Shakespeare) in their breasts, but these boys, in the instance, demonstrated that they had no such deficiency.

Good young Samaritans exist in Jamaica.

It did not escape my notice that no adult, at least from the footage that I have seen, assisted by giving a helping hand and/or related to the heroic five as they, on foot, transported their injured friend to received urgent medical attention.

I sincerely hope the heroic actions of the five boys will — whether by process of human osmosis and/or diffusion — gush into our collective consciousness.

I believe these five brave sons of Jamaica should be honoured nationally for their fortitude.

Unlike some, I will not spend precious time drawing comparisons between their demonstrations of courage in the face of adversity and those of others who have been nationally recognised for bravery. There is a committee which decides who is recognised for national service. If folks feel their decisions have lost saltiness, there are democratic channels and remedies.

I think the more worthwhile and sensible focus is to strategically use the gallantry of the five youngster as a galvanising thrust for national contemplation and positive action.

Contrary to what some shroud wavers shout in the highways and byways, Jamaica is not hopeless. We are not a castaway class, as some claim. Neither is there an Abrahamic curse on our people as some posit.

More good neighbourliness

Days ago the country was rocked by the dastardly rape and murder of eight-year-old Talia Thompson in Discovery Bay, St Ann. Credible media sources say her neighbour and close friend of the family was the alleged culprit. According to information in the public domain, the alleged miscreant tried, unsuccessfully, to commit suicide.

We took a collectively sigh of relief when we heard he had been arrested by the police. That sigh of relief was neutralised when ace reporter Rohan Powell broke the news on Sunday that the alleged rapist and murderer had escaped police custody. Dozens took to social media, condemning the escape as unmitigated carelessness.

Folks were not economical in their condemnation of the police. “Heads must roll,” some shouted. Their anger was palpable.

“This cannot be real, it must be some tom fool business,” one angry post read. It and others were coloured with some words which cannot be repeated here.

Well-thinking folks took a collective breath of relief when we learned that the accused malefactor was again in police custody. For me, the circumstance of his recapture was one of the best pieces of news in a long, long while.

According to the St Ann police, the accused rapist and murderer was apprehended by a female licensed firearm holder who was driving along the Discovery Bay main road when she spotted a man matching the description released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The good citizen turned him over to the police, sometime after 10 Sunday night.

The lady, though armed, could have taken an approach similar to the Levite priest in the Bible. Based on credible media reports, she placed her life at great risk. She deserves national recognition.

Many in her situation doubtless would have simply driven along their merry way, reassured by the poisonous and self-defeating default position of: “Mi nuh business,” or “A police work dat.” To even call 311 would be too much of a bother, for some. I am glad this lady took positive action. I think her deeds are heroic.

Note, I am not telling any citizen that it is sensible to challenge armed and dangerous gunmen, or those thought to be, if they do not have the wherewithal to protect and defend themselves. However, it cannot be beyond the capacity of any citizen to alert the police to the presence/sightings of individuals who pose a clear and present danger to life and limb.

I have said so previously, but it bears repeating, when we close our eyes to actions and activities of criminals, we are merely setting up ourselves to become prey for them sooner or later.

Criminals are loyal only to themselves. Those who foolishly believe that the police are no better than the criminals had better wake up from their deep state of sleep.

The members of the security forces JCF and Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), notwithstanding bad eggs among their ranks, are doing a commendable job and deserve a helping hand from every well-thinking Jamaican.

Supporting criminals is a zero-sum game.

Garfield Higgins is an educator, journalist and a senior advisor to the minister of education and youth. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or higgins160@yahoo.com.